BenQ‘s E900HD is one of the first 18.5″LCD monitors. The E900HD is unique in size but also in aspect ratio. For a monitor, it is also one of the first 16:9 LCD monitors. A typical wide LCD monitor sports an aspect ratio of 16:10 and has a pixel format of about 1440 x 900 at this size (e.g. 19″ wide). So the overall look of the E900HD is, quite nice, and wider. And that’s good since more and more video sources are tending toward wide. But there’s a little problem.

The pixel format on the E900HD is just 1366 x 768. Good for viewing 720p HD video, but not good for anything else. 18.5″ is not huge, but it isn’t small for a LCD monitor. As mentioned before a typical 19″ wide LCD monitor will feature a pixel format of 1440 x 900. That’s just barely usable. But 1366 x 768? That’s less than a typical notebook PC display. Even Apple‘s diminutive MacBook Air with a 13.3″ LCD has more pixels than the E900HD. The 18.5″ LCD should have had at least 1600 x 900, a pixel format you can find in Sony‘s new Z series and FW series notebook PCs. In addition, it seems the E900HD is using a TN LCD panel that isn’t the best when it comes to quality, but at least the price should be on the low side. If you like low prices, the E900HDA without the DVI connection should come in at a bit lower than the digital cousin.